Child-swapping case: Preliminary probe points to clerical mistake, 4 transferred

In the child-swapping case at the civil hospital here, the inquiry panel in its preliminary report has said that it was a clerical mistake in which a staff nurse had by mistake written that the child born was a boy, though in reality it was a girl.

Following the report, four employees, including three staff nurses and a class-4 employee, have been transferred as they have been held responsible for the mistake.

A family of Nandpur village of Sahnewal on Thursday had staged a protest, alleging that the hospital had swapped their newborn boy with a girl on September 30. Following this, an inquiry was marked.

The report of the three-member panel comprising Dr Tarshinder Goyal, Dr Malwinder Mala and Dr Harpreet Singh said that a nurse who was present at the time of delivery of Sushila, wife of Sandeep Kumar who accused the hospital of swapping their boy for a girl, had written that it was a male baby in the record by mistake.

Now, staff nurse Neelam, who committed the blunder, has been transferred to Khanna civil hospital, while Bhupinder Kaur and Parminder Kaur, who did not crosscheck Neelam's mistake, have been transferred to Samrala. Class-4 employee Paramjeet Kaur has been transferred to Sahnewal civil hospital, as she had demanded money, as the couple had a boy.

"The transfers have been approved by the director of health and family welfare," Dr RK Karkara, senior medical officer, said.

"The delivery was conducted under the guidance of Dr Kanwaljit Kaur. But Neelam, a staff nurse, wrote male instead of female baby. The other two staff nurses had not cross-checked the record. Sushila had in reality given birth to a female child," said Dr Karkara adding that the family did not submit a complaint to him after they came to know of the faux-pass.

"Dr Kanwaljit Kaur said that Sushila had given birth to a girl," said Dr Karkara.

The baby is being treated at the civil hospital, as she was diagnosed with jaundice. "The inquiry is still on and the report of the newborn's medical examination has not come. We will conduct a DNA analysis to ascertain if the child is that of the couple," he said.

On Thursday, the couple had protested outside the civil hospital, accusing its staff of swapping their boy with a girl. Police are also investigating into the case. The preliminary report of the panel will be sent to the deputy commissioner, police commissioner and the state director of health and family welfare.